Continuing from last weeks narrative by Elsie Bohensky, the family of Joseph and Nellie Bohensky are settled in Bernice after their marriage in1916.
“When ‘coal was king’ and the mines were working, the towns of the area were booming. Grocery stores, clothing stores, movie theaters, variety stores, shoe shops and of course, the local saloons were all part of this era. The Bohensky home in Bernice burned in1941. Nothing was saved. The family moved to “Frogtown” in Mildred and then bought a house on Main Street. Joseph died on October 28, 1949, at age 54 of a coronary thrombosis. He is buried in St. Francis Church Cemetery, Mildred, PA.
“Nellie Rutkowski Bohensky was no stranger to hard work. Being the oldest girl and with five younger siblings she had little time for leisure. She attended school through the second grade and then went to work in the silk mills in Simpson, PA. This was not unusual and she had many friends who rode the trolley for six miles every morning and evening. Nellie was raised by a very strict mother and she learned to keep house and tend babies at an early age. The Chrapowicki grandparents owned a bakery in Plymouth, PA and handed down their knowledge of fi ne Polish baking. When Joseph and Nellie moved to Mildred shortly after their wedding, Nellie baked wonderful loaves of rye bread as well as white bread, dozens of pies, cakes and cookies. At holiday time, hundreds of kolatcki would be made as well as kielbasa and pierogies. Nellie never used a written recipe!
The move to Bernice must have been a “step back in time” for this new bride. She was used to electricity, running water and indoor plumbing...in her new home she had none of these conveniences. In addition there was a cow to milk, laundry to do on a scrub board and a large house to keep. During the next 15 years, eight more children were born and the nation was in the throes of the Great Depression. Although the mines continued to work times were hard and other ways of making money were sought.
One of the most profitable ways was to make whiskey or “moonshine”. This was a risky business because Revenue Officers were always checking the countryside for hidden stills and your neighbor was only too happy to aide them in their search. The Bohensky still operated during the 1930s and was reputed to have a fi ne caliber of moonshine.
These were busy years for Nellie. She continued to cook and bake to feed her family and guests in the best way she knew how. Summers were busy with canning berries picked by the children and vegetables grown in the garden. Many years the cellar overflowed with more than 500 quarts of canned goods. As the children grew up and started families of their own Nellie’s work load lessened, but “Grandma Nellie” was never too busy to care for her grandchildren.
She went to work at the Weldon Pajama Factory in Lopez and became fl oor lady there. After the factory burned, she worked in the cafeteria at Turnpike Elementary School. She loved being with the young people there and they all knew Nellie would slip them a “little extra” if they asked. She was forced to retire when school authorities discovered that she was sixty-eight years old and still working!
Finally, too old to work and too young to stay at home alone, she attended daily Mass at St. Francis and as many weekend masses as she could squeeze in. Yearly pilgrimages to St. Ann’s in Scranton were “a must”. Now Nellie had time to “make her rounds” (as she called it) visiting neighbors, friends, her sisters in Carbondale and all of her children as often as she could.
After a period of declining health, Nellie died at the age of 84 in the extended care unit of Memorial Hospital in Towanda, PA. She is buried beside her husband in St. Francis Cemetery in Mildred.”
The children of Joseph and Nellie were Leo Michael, Edward Joseph, Helen Marie (Kriel), Joseph John, Paul Joseph, Cecelia Delores (Wanagitis), Francis James, William Thomas and Stanley Andrew. Stanley being the husband of this narrator, Elsie.
This narrative story is just one of the many intriguing journeys into genealogy. To discover if your family history is among the museum’s archival collection or add it to the collection, contact us at (570) 946-5020 or email museum@scpahistory.com or stop in if you see the open sign in the window.